


Tomorrow's Love

by StarkTonyCarterCollinsCarbonellRogers



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bucky's Masterplan, Justin Hammer is strange, Love Confessions, M/M, Misunderstandings, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Pepper Potts Is a Good Bro, Steve Rogers Feels, Tony Stark Feels, happy ending!, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:55:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28569591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarkTonyCarterCollinsCarbonellRogers/pseuds/StarkTonyCarterCollinsCarbonellRogers
Summary: Steve leaves a love note in Tonys locker spilling his feelings, and then Tony will jump straight into his arms, right?Wrong, he put it in the wrong locker :)
Relationships: Justin Hammer/Tony Stark (implied), Sharon Carter/Pepper Potts, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 4
Kudos: 84





	1. Love Letters

**Author's Note:**

  * For [queensellingdreams](https://archiveofourown.org/users/queensellingdreams/gifts).



> Thank you so much to @ShesLikeTexas and @chocolatecapcookie for the Beta read.

"I hope this works"

"It will. Buck said so. Now hurry before someone sees us!"

  
  
\-----

Walking out of the classroom, Tony pulls his glasses down over his brown eyes, trying to avoid any of the seniors who have an uneasy liking of shoving him into a locker. 

“Pep! Come on!” Tony gently pulls at her sleeve as the usual uneasiness sets into his body. “I can avoid a broken nose if we run fast enough”. 

Immediately, Pepper wraps her arm around his shoulder, while simultaneously squeezing Sharon’s hand. “We’ve got you. Sharon’s been practising self-defence”. A soft yet sad smile sits on her lips as the trio walk towards their lockers. 

“Still. I don’t want to risk it; explaining why I’m coming home with bruises littered all over my body is not something I want to do again. He didn’t believe me last time, certainly—”,  Tony breaks off as he spots a small purple envelope falling to the ground.  Damn his sharp sightedness! 

“You dropped something.” He hands the letter to Sharon as his curiosity begins to grow. 

The blonde smiles and thanks him before flipping it over to find ‘To my Love’ scribbled in cursive handwriting, with 3 hearts. “Aww Pep! You didn’t need to.” Sharon pecks Pepper’s lips, slinging her arms around the strawberry blonde’s figure. Yes, strawberry blonde specifically. Pepper Potts was  _ not _ a blonde!  Sharon pulls back, only to be faced by her very confused girlfriend .

“Babe, I’m truly flattered you think that’s me, but I didn’t do that.” She clears her throat nervously as her eyes wander back to the little purple envelope. 

Sharon looks at Tony, “Tones? Do you know anything about this?” The brunet shakes his head, holding his hands up in similar confusion.    
“Open it,” Pepper says as she slings her things into their shared locker. “Just see who it’s from and return it to them; maybe they placed it into the wrong locker”. 

Tony sighs nervously, and his eyes dart to the seniors walking down the corridor. “Guys, can we leave, the football team is on their way.” Both women’s heads whip around to the boys striding through the hallway. Thankful that they were engrossed in a conversation, Tony grabs the couple’s things and heads for the nearest exit. Luckily for them, it was their usual spot far  _ far _ away from the rowdy footballers. Far from Steve fricking Rogers. The perfect student. The perfect football player. The perfect  _ boyfrie- _

Stop.  Tony says, internally. He’s not yours, Tony, only a crush.  _ The perfect crush _ , the genius chuckles. With a sigh, Tony sits on the bench, opposite the girls who were gently opening the letter. 

“It’s a love letter,” Sharon announces, trying to process who was sending a taken woman a love letter. 

Scoffing, Tony leans over, just managing to read the fancy cursive writing. “The audacity of some people,” he mumbles to no one in particular. 

_ To the one who’s stolen my heart _

_ I write this letter to you, opening up and finally telling you how I feel. The truth is, I wasn’t going to. When this first happened, I thought it was going to be a crush. Yet, years later, here I am declaring my love to you. I thought I could handle seeing your beautiful smile every time we pass in the hallways, or in class, and not fall helplessly in love with you, but I couldn’t, not when it is as bright as the stars. I hope it’s on your face as you read this letter because lord only knows you should be smiling every moment of every day. We don’t interact much, but you’ve still managed to steal my heart and be the subject of all my thoughts. Every day, I’m determined to work my hardest because you inspire me to, you really do. I was hoping you could stop doing it from so far away and start spending the days in my arms. Tonight after last period, I’ll wait for you, underneath the bleachers, my arms wide open for you to jump right into. Maybe we could go get some pizza afterwards ;) _

_ Your, not so secret, admirer. _

_ Steven Grant Rogers <3 _

  
  


Blinking in confusion, Sharon looks at Tony to be met with a horrified expression. 

Steve didn’t like  _ him _ .

Steve liked  _ Sharon _ . 

“Tones, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know he liked me. I swear—”

Tony attempts to blink back his tears. “Don’t. You have nothing to apologize for. It’s not in any way your fault.” He truly does try hard to not burst into tears right there. Grabbing his bag, Tony runs into the nearest toilet and slumps into the cubicle.  _ Why  _ did this have to happen? Why Tony? His hand clutches protectively at his chest as a steady stream of warm tears streak down his face. This was pathetic. So pathetic. Howard was cursing him from above. 

**_“..managed to steal my heart..”_ **

**_“..helplessly in love with you..”_ **

**_“..beautiful—”_ **

“Anthony, you in here?” Tony’s body freezes up, “You’ve been in there for quite a long time, come on out.” Standing up, he wipes his tears with the nearest tissue and flushes it. Bracing himself, Tony pulls the door open and clutches onto his bag tightly as he heads to the sinks, ignoring Hammer’s daunting presence. “Anthony, dear.” The voice is louder, he must have moved closer. “I’ve been waiting for you.” He’s right behind Tony, merely inches away.

“I’ve been busy, Hammer.” Putting on a brave face, he turns around and struggles to fake his smile. 

“Too busy for me?” Hammer’s hands grip onto the wall, trapping Tony between them. 

“What do you want?”

“A date.” 

A newfound confidence controls Tony’s attitude. “Okay. Today. After school. You’re paying.” 

A guttural chuckle escapes Justin’s lips. “I’ll be there.” 

“Good.”

Pushing out of his arms, Tony grabs his backpack and makes his way to his two best friends. 


	2. Love Hurts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Steve have wonderful friends :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy ;)

Time could not have gone slower for Steve Rogers. Not only was he not interested in anything Miss Hill had to say, there was also a nervous feeling in his stomach churning out scenarios for tonight’s event. It could go: 1) wrong, 2) horribly wrong, or worst of all, 3) dreadfully, awfully, horrifically—

“Steve. Relax.” Nat nudges him, knowing that her friend was getting inside of his own head. “Stark has liked you for ages. There’s nothing that could possibly go wrong.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I know everything. I’m Natasha Romanov,” she says, grinning as she turns back to her work. “One way or another, he’s going to end up jumping into your beefy arms.”

“I hope.”

“Like I said, I _know._ ”

\------

After saying his goodbyes to his friends, Tony heads off to the parking lot, knowing Hammer is desperate enough to be there. Seeing the man leaning against his SUV, Tony buries any second thoughts he was _definitely not_ having. Unsurprisingly, it took Hammer mere minutes to see Tony approaching. 

“Hey, Anthony.”

“Hey,” the freshman’s voice was quiet, hints of nervousness embedded in it. Justin opens the door for Tony, allowing him to climb into his fancy black car. Who said chivalry was dead? “Thank you.” His cheeks flush red watching Justin walk round to the driver’s seat. “Where are we going?” Tony clears his throat nervously as he fastens the seatbelt. 

A smirk appears on Justin’s face, while his hand grasps Tony’s knee. “Just relax darling, you’ll see.”

\------

Steve clears his throat as he checks the flowers for the fiftieth time. “Just a few minutes,” he mumbles to himself. Gosh, why was he so nervous? Maybe Tony was nervous too, maybe that’s why he’s a couple of minutes late. Yes? No? The bleachers Steve is hiding under are quiet. The odd soda can rolls around in the brisk wind, creating as much racket as it can. 

Fresh. 

That’s what Steve likes about nature. Always so… fresh. _Maybe I’ll take a walk to clear my nerves. Hopefully, I’ll run into him on the way_ , Steve thinks, ever so optimistically. Grabbing his flowers and school bag, he jumps out from underneath the bleachers and strolls towards the student exit. _Tony would be there._

There are still a handful of cars in the parking lot, maybe six or seven They’re for the kids whose families could _afford_ to buy these fancy hundred-thousand-dollar cars. It was okay, though. Steve’s Ma did her best. Steve couldn’t thank her enough.

A blinding light shines from one of the cars as it begins to drive off. Of course, Hammer, and Tony in the passenger seat. He always wanted to show off. Steve just wanted to find Tony. Find Tony and go on that—

Wait. 

What?

Was that—

_Tony._

Bile threatens to rise in Steve’s stomach, and his heart drops to his feet. That was Tony. In Hammer’s fancy rich hundred-thousand-dollar car. 

Tony didn’t like _him_.

Tony liked _Hammer_. 

Falling back against the wall, Steve gasps in a breath. He was so sure, so freaking damn sure, that Tony would have run straight into his arms. Not this. No. Gosh no. Never this.

Grabbing his phone, not the latest tech, just something Ma had worked so hard to get him, Steve’s fingers fumble against the gadget in an attempt to ring the only person who’d know what to do. 

“It’s Nat, leave a message at the end of the beep.” Voicemail. Of course. How could things have gone so horribly wrong? 

“Hey. I—it’s me. Steve. Well. You see, the date _did_ happen. But just with H-Hammer instead.” Steve sinks to the ground. “Gosh, Nat. He wants Hammer, not me. I — I saw them. Together, in the car. In _his_ car. It’s kinda pathetic. That car’s probably worth more than anything I’ll ever make. Anyway, c-call me. I— Maybe, I just need someone to talk to.” With one final heartbreaking sigh, Steve sends the voicemail. 

Steven Grant Rogers is one big muscly guy, but not since his pre-teen days had he felt this small and pathetic. Gathering all his things, minus the flowers — why would he need those now? — he heads for the exit that Tony and his new boyfriend had taken just minutes before. The guy he’d pined over for so long was with _someone else_. Defeated and heartbroken, Steve makes the dreary journey home, barely dragging his heavy chest along. 

\------

The walk into school couldn’t have been more humiliating. As if having his heart broken wasn’t bad enough, Steve had spent all weekend in bed wallowing in his own sadness. Reaching to open the door, he pushes it open, trying not to embarrass himself anymore. If he could just get through the day without seeing Tony or his new rich boyfriend.

Laughter echoes from the far side of the corridor. Tentatively, Steve looks up, and he knows immediately that he shouldn’t have. There stands Tony, tucked uncomfortably into Hammer’s side, Hammer is happily boasting to his other _rich_ good-for-nothing friends. Steve wants Tony tucked into _his_ side .   
“Cheer up, Stevie,” Nat’s voice pulls him out of his little daydream. Scoffing, Steve shoves his things into his locker more angrily than he should have. “Easy for you to say, it didn’t go horribly wrong for you!” he snaps at her, slamming his locker shut, which draws unwanted attention. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m not myself today.” 

The redhead gives him a sad smile, “Bucky’s coming back tomorrow, he’ll cheer you right up.”

“Yeah, because he’s an idiot,” Steve chuckles. 

“See! It’s already working!” she exclaims, more excitedly than she should have. 

“Come on, Coulson is going to put us in detention if we’re late.” 

The pair head off to their next class, with Steve desperately trying to push any thought of Tony to the back of his head while Nat concocts multiple plans to cheer her best friend up. 

\------

Bucky trudges into school the next day, drowsy and sleep-deprived. He slumps down next to Nat, groaning into his bag.   
“Well, hello to you too,” Natasha smirked at Bucky. 

“Hey Buck, how was your trip?” Steve asks, in a feeble attempt at taking his mind off Tony. 

Lifting his head up, Bucky blinks at Steve, his eyes red and circles prominent. “Refreshing,” he states simply, then slumps back down onto his backpack. After a few moments of companionable silence, Bucky shoots up again. “The letter. How did he react?”

Embarrassment seeps back into Steve’s bones, “Not well,” he mumbles. 

“What?”

“Drop it, Buck, it’s—”

“Stark has been crushing on you since elementary school, when you gave him those pencils, remember?” All the energy Bucky had been missing seeped back into him as he flailed his arms about, frustrated that his plan had all gone wrong. 

“Yes, I remember.” The familiar memory of how Tony had been so happy over those pencils, so much so that he carried them with him everywhere, washes over him. Steve buries his head in his hands, trying to push down any tears that his heart begged to let free. As the blonde lifted his head back up, he was greeted with two empty spots, which his friends had just occupied. Twisting around, Steve saw two figures headed towards Pepper Potts and Sharon Carter. Oh, no—

Sharon sits up as the quarterback approaches her, nudging her girlfriend, who is not happy to be pulled out of her book. “Look.”

“Hey, James?” Pepper clears her throat nervously, “Is everything okay?”

Surprising everyone there, he sits down in front of them, pulling his sunglasses over his head. “What’s going on with Tony? Thought he liked Steve?” 

The couple turn to look at each other, apprehensive and alarmed. “He does, he’s liked Steve since elementary school.” 

Nat interjects: “So why is he glued to Hammer’s side?” 

Gaining back some confidence, Pepper clears her throat again. “Well, after Steve sent Sharon the letter, Tony was devastated. I think he may have gone with Hammer to make it easier for himself.” 

Scrunching up her eyebrows, Nat crouches down. “Steve didn’t give you a letter, though.” 

Sharon swiftly pulls out a neat little letter from Pepper’s bag. “Tony was incredibly hurt. He’s our best friend, and I don’t want to see him hurt.” 

The redhead gently opens the letter, seeing the ever-so-distinguishable handwriting of her best friend. “Oh no.” Her hands cover her face in realisation. “This wasn’t meant for _you_ . It was meant for _Tony_.” 


	3. Love Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve turns up at someone's house :)

“Are you sure this will work?” Steve clears his throat nervously as he stands with the beautiful roses in his hand. 

“Yes,” With a nod, Steve makes his way through the elegant garden. The flowers that grew on either side of the pathway were symmetrical. Steve quickly walks down a large gravel footpath, which splits the scene in two. As he reaches the grand door, Steve clenches his fists and knocks gently. After a few seconds of silence, a small but lively woman opens the door. Taking one look at Steve she smiles and places her hands on her hips, “He’ll be right down, darling.” With that, she whisks off into the house, leaving a rather confused Steve at the door. 

“I don’t want to go to the door.” Tony’s familiar voice reaches him from somewhere inside the house, or mansion, really. “Why won’t you tell me who it is?” Tony huffs and pulls open the door. Seeing his stunning chocolate eyes causes Steve’s stomach to flip in excitement. 

“Steve?”

“Hi.” His voice is barely a whisper. 

“Sharon isn’t here.” Tony’s hand moves up to run through those soft brown curls that Steve yearns to touch. 

“I didn’t come here for her.” 

“Well, why are you here then?” 

Now it was Tony’s turn for the butterflies in his stomach to go crazy, Steve’s stunning smile could reduce him to anything. 

“The letter, it was meant for you. Every single word on that letter was meant for you. It’s true, Tony. All of it is true. Bucky sold me this ridiculous plan about putting a note in your locker admitting all my feelings for you, and I must have put it into Sharon’s locker by accident. Tony, I don’t have feelings for her, she’s with Pepper, in a happy relationship. If you’d let me, I want to have a relationship with you.” Steve takes in a deep breath and looks up to see Tony’s face. Blank. A blank expression. “Tones? Darling, say something?”

“You really expect me to believe all that?” 

Clearing his throat, Steve nods nervously, his eyes following every movement Tony made. 

“Are those flowers for me?” Tony whispers, his tone much softer than before. Steve nods hopefully, giving him the bouquet. 

Tony examines the flowers for a few moments before placing them on the little table behind the door. 

Turning to face Steve, Tony flings himself right into Steve’s arms, hugging him tightly. “I really thought you didn’t like me,” Tony mumbles, sounding as if he was on the verge of tears. 

Pulling back, Steve shakes his head. “I’ve liked you for so long, ever since I gave you those silly pencils in elementary school”. 

Tony chuckles, breathless and beautiful. 

“Can I?” 

“If you don’t, I will.” 

Steve giggles and presses his lips to Tony’s, to Tony’s soft pink lips. _There isn’t going to be another day where I don’t kiss these lips._

“I’ll hold you to that.”

Steve blushes profusely, realising he must have spoken out loud, “Wait.” He pulls back nervously, although his hands stay on Tony’s back. “What about Hammer?”

Rolling his eyes, Tony scoffs, “I told him to get lost after lunch. Unsurprisingly he was in Sunset Bain’s arms by 6th period.” 

Steve scrunches his nose as if to hold back his disgust and laughter. “I’d feel bad that he lost out on you, but now that I have you, I don’t care for him.”

A giggle leaves Tony’s lips as he gently reconnects them to Steve’s. 

eNd


End file.
